USA TODAY Network Conversation Guidelines

As guided by USA TODAY Network's Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms, we "encourage and promote views that foster understanding, insight and civil discourse. We seek to offer viewpoints that represent various views on a particular topic." All views, respectfully presented, are welcome. By joining the conversation you agree to all the relevant conditions in the Terms of Service and as Terms of Service apply for Facebook.

We reserve the right to suspend users and/or remove comments that, in our judgment, infringe on other users' ability to take part in dialogue on our website. Violations that may result in removal include:

Personal attacks, abuse or harassment of other community members, subjects of our coverage or staff;

Hate speech or stereotypes that attack or disparage an ethnic, sexual or religious group or a member of any such group;

Obscenities, vulgarities or any variation of such that suggests, connotes or contains indecent, offensive or lewd speech;

If you see a violation of these guidelines, report it to Facebook by clicking the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment in question, and marking the comment as spam or abuse.

If you have ideas on how to improve the conversation or community, fill out a Contact form.

Facebook Commenting FAQs

Q: Where can I comment?

A: To comment on a story page or blog post, make sure you are signed into Facebook. Then click on the chat balloon icon in the gray rail located on the left of the story. A comment box should pop up and you can post your comment there.

Q: Do I need to have a Facebook account to comment?

A: Yes. To add a comment, you'll need to log in at Facebook. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can get one at http://www.facebook.com. Signing up for an account is quick, easy and free. Please note that once you've signed up with Facebook, you MUST have a profile photo and a least four friends for your comment to become visible on the site.

Q: Will my friends on Facebook see my comments?

A: When you submit a comment, it will also appear on Facebook if you leave the "Post my comment to my Facebook profile" box checked.

Q: Why does my Facebook profile picture and name appear on the comments page when I haven't even posted a comment?

A: If you're signed in at Facebook.com, your information will appear, but it is not visible to anyone else until your comment is published.

Q: Will people be able to view my Facebook profile if I post a comment?

A: What others see when they click on your name or picture on our site is determined by your Facebook privacy settings. Those settings allow you to decide how much information you want to share with your friends or others. To adjust your Facebook privacy settings, visit http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy.

Q: How do I report an inappropriate or abusive comment?

A: Hover over the upper right corner of the comment until an "X" appears. Then click the "X" and choose one of the options to report a comment as spam or abuse. The comment will be removed from your view. Facebook tracks abuse reports and automatically bans users who are consistently abusive.

Q: What is a Top Commenter and how do I become one?

A: Facebook automatically assigns The Top Commenter badge to users whose comments are most often "Liked" by others. To earn the Top Commenter badge, keep doing what you're doing: being civil and respectful, respecting other viewpoints and following the Conversation Guidelines.

Q: Why can't I see the comments?

A: Comments on this site are public, which means anyone logged in or out of Facebook should be able to view them. If you cannot see the comments, please check with your IT department. Some government agencies and other employers block Facebook domains and applications from their servers.